Recipes To The Things On My Annual Thanksgiving Table...

Are you ready for Thanksgiving?!

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My Pavochon and Cornbread Dressing with Salami recipes can be found in my book, Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook. Remember my book? It’s still out there and still needs to be purchased if you want to help me reach the point where I can collect royalties. If not, here are some of my Thanksgiving recipes that will live on one single post just to make things more convenient for you.

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CORNBREAD AND SALAMI DRESSING

2 (8.5 ounces) boxes of Jiffy Cornbread

8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided, plus more for pan

1 (8 - 10 ounce salami) cut into ½" pieces

1 large yellow onion, cut into small dice

3 celery stalks, cut into small dice

5 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons fresh sage, minced

1 (5 – 7 ounce) bag stuffing mix croutons

4 - 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 13x9" glass baking dish. Arrange cornbread in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, tossing halfway through, until golden brown around edges and partially dried out, 25–30 minutes. Let cool.

Meanwhile, melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook salami, tossing often, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer salami to a large bowl.

Add remaining 7 Tbsp. butter to skillet and let melt. Add onion, celery, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook (still over medium), stirring occasionally, until very soft, 10–12 minutes. Add sage and toss to combine.

Add croutons and toasted cornbread to salami and gently toss to combine. Add vegetable mixture and any butter in skillet and gently toss again. Drizzle broth over and let it absorb into bread; season with salt and pepper. Toss gently until just combined (overmixing will cause the cornbread to fall apart); season with more salt and pepper if needed. Dressing should be moist, but there shouldn’t be any liquid pooling in bottom of bowl.

Transfer to prepared baking dish and bake until golden brown on top and bottom, 40–45 minutes.

FOR THE VISUAL LEARNERS

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OVEN ROASTED PAVOCHON

Yields 8 - 12 servings

1 (12-14 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed and reserved and the bird patted dry

1 lemon

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 ½ tablespoons salt-free sazon

3 ½ tablespoons salt-free adobo

1 large yellow onion, halved

5 garlic cloves

2 celery stalks

1 ½ cups water, or as needed

2 cups chicken stock

You can do this first step the night before Thanksgiving, or even on the day if you’re in a pinch.

Place your turkey in a large roasting pan big enough roast it in, lined with a wire rack. Using your fingers, and starting at the neck, gently separate the turkey skin from the breast meat. Rub the outside of the turkey all over with the lemon and olive oil. Place the used lemon in the bird’s butt. Season the outside of the bird with salt, pepper, two tablespoons of sazon, three tablespoons of adobo and massage all the seasonings into the outside of the bird. In a small bowl, combined softened butter with remaining sazon and remaining adobo, combine well. Place the seasoned butter inside of the bird (the part where you’ve separated the skin from the breast meat).

Place onion, garlic, and celery in the turkey’s butt. Yes, with the lemon.

If you’re doing this the night before, place turkey in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature for 1 hour before putting it in the oven.

Preheat oven to 450°F

Pour some water into the bottom of the pan. Roast the turkey for 25-30 minutes, rotating one if it starts to brown unevenly. When the skin is browned all over and begins to crisp, turn the heat down to 350°F and continue to roast for 1 ½ hours more, basting the turkey with the pan juices every 30 minutes. Do I baste my turkey? No. But, you should. Check the turkey and the liquid at the bottom of the pan, add more water if needed. Put back into the oven for another hour. Continue this process until the turkey thigh reaches 165°F - 170°F with an instant read thermometer.

Let the turkey rest for 30 - 60 minutes. You can then transfer to a carving board, serving platter, or just keep it in the pan.

Serve.

You can use the residual juices at the bottom of the pan for your gravy.

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SWEET POTATOES WITH MARSHMALLOW FLUFF RECIPE

Honestly, this is not even a recipe. You only need three things! 7It couldn’t be easier and somehow it also delights everyone. I don’t get it. But, I’m happy. In the photo above, this was the first time I had made them and I split them in half. But, I don’t bother to do that anymore. I serve one sweet potato per guest. Making a few extra, of course. In case anyone wants seconds.

Sweet Potatoes

Marshmallow Fluff

Creme Brulee Torch, optional

Preheat oven to 400°F

Place your scrubbed and washed sweet potatoes in a roasting pan large enough to accommodate your serving of sweet potatoes. If you’re only making four, I’m sure a 8x8 will do. If you’re making 20, obviously use a larger roasting tray. A sheet tray would also work.

Place the sweet potatoes into the oven, uncovered, and roast for one hour, or until you can stick a knife in and pull it out cleanly. The skin will start to wrinkle and wither.

Slightly split open the sweet potatoes, exposing the flesh. Place a large dollop of marshmallow fluff inside and torch the fluff!!!!!!! I like my fluff burnt.

If you don’t have a torch, place the fluff under the broiler on high until it reached your desired burntness…and keep an eye on it.

Serve!

NOTES: I don’t add anything else other than the marshmallow fluff to the sweet potatoes because I like to taste my sweet potatoes. However! Make them your own. You can add butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin spice.

But, then I’d advise to either roast them whole for 45 minutes, covered, split them, mash the flesh, put in the butter, sugar, cinnamon and place them back into the oven for another 20-30 minutes or until the flesh is super soft and then add the marshmallow fluff.

OR! You can just roast for one hour, or until you can stick a knife in and pull it out cleanly, take them out, split them, add the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon. Give it a good mash. Add the marshmallow fluff and torch.

It’s all about how complicated you’re trying to make your life.

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MOFONGO DRESSING WITH SALAMI

2 cups Canola oil, for frying

6 medium green plantains, peeled and sliced into 1-inch medallions

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup diced hard salami

1/2 cup sofrito

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

1 pinch Pinch of salt

1 cup Water as needed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Over medium-high heat, pour canola oil into a large saucepan to a depth of 1/2 inch. Fry plantain slices in batches until tender, 5 to 7 minutes per batch; remove to a paper-towel-lined sheet pan.

Over medium-high heat, heat olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Add salami and fry until crispy, golden and softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside, keeping the salami and the oil in the pan.

Combine the fried plantains, sofrito, pepper and salt in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher until combined but still chunky, adding water (or broth) just as needed soften the mixture - it should not be liquidy. (The amount of water needed will vary depending on how ripe the plaintains are--firmer, greener plaintains will need more water.) Fold in the salami and the oil from the skillet until thoroughly combined. Add more water, if needed, until the mixture is moist but still somewhat stiff. Transfer the mixture to the skillet; bake until the top is just starting to brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Serve.

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SAUTEED GREEN BEANS WITH CARROTS AND ALMONDS

A random side dish I threw together because I had a bag of green beans and a half a bag of Trader Joe’s rainbow baby carrots. I cooked both of them down for longer than I normally would, making sure the beans were super soft. Added in a pat of butter. And pan roasted some sliced almonds in the same pan until they were brown, then fully incorporated them with the green beans and carrots. Gonna write this non-recipe recipe down right here so I’ll remember.

In a 12’’ cast iron skillet, over high heat, toss in a tablespoon of salted butter. When the butter is almost melted, throw in washed green beans and baby carrots. Could also use large diced regular carrots. Saute in butter for 1-2 minutes, keeping the mixture moving, add in 1/2 cup water and immediately cover with a lid. Turn heat down to medium high and allow to cook for 5 minutes, or until the carrots are fork tender. Crank the heat back up until the water has evaporated, push the veg to one side of the pan, add in another tablespoon of butter and saute your sliced almonds in the butter until brown, 1-2 minutes. Keep an eye on them. When browned, incorporate into the veg mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a squeeze of juice from one lemon wedge. Thee end.